When the Grizzlies traded Ja Morant away in the offseason, they were left without a true face of the franchise.
As the team heads to San Francisco for the first game of a four-game road trip against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, the Grizzlies will try to continue proving that they can win without bona fide superstars.
An unlikely name turned heads nationally in Memphis’ season opener on Wednesday, as Ty Jerome scored 45 points to help the Grizzlies beat the Utah Jazz 123-103.
Prior to signing a three-year deal with Memphis in 2025, Jerome had played for four teams in six years (including Golden State). Limited to just 15 games by injuries last season, Jerome scored a career-high 45 points, setting a franchise record for a season opener and tying for the fifth-most points in a game by a Grizzly.
While the 29-year-old journeyman was satisfied with his career night, Jerome remains just as focused on the team’s improvement before Friday.
“Mid to late third quarter (on Wednesday), we stopped getting back on defense for a second. Stuff like that can’t happen, especially as we continue to play against really good teams,” Jerome said. “We’ll watch the film and I’m sure (head coach) Tuomas (Iisalo) will have a ton of stuff we can clean up. He’s good at that. It’s important to have someone like that when we’re trying to get better every day.”
Coming off its worst season since the 2017-18 campaign, Memphis retooled its roster to support a youth movement. Jerami Grant, acquired in the trade that sent Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers, is the only Grizzlies player older than 30.
While Iisalo’s group still has a ways to go before it asserts itself as a Western Conference contender, the groundwork is being laid.
“I think if you look at it from the perspective of playing with speed, playing with quick decisions, playing for the team and with great effort, every person saw that this is a team ready to fight for not just each other, but also for the Grizzlies,” Iisalo said. “That’s a great start for us and definitely something we can build on.”
Meanwhile, Golden State continued a disappointing end to last season. After dropping seven of eight to finish the year and eventually bowing out of the play-in tournament, the Warriors began the 2026-27 campaign with a listless performance.
Golden State trailed by as many as 35 points before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 127-105 in a start to the year that didn’t inspire confidence entering the home opener.
“It was a good wake-up call and it’s obviously only one game, but we have a lot to work on in terms of consistency at every facet of the game,” said Stephen Curry, who scored 23 points and was the only Warriors player to finish with more than 14.
A month after signing a two-year, $116 million contract, Curry, 38, is prepared to face what could be a challenging season, starting with an attempt to halt a confident Memphis team on Friday.
“I still love it. I still enjoy it. I love work. There is a lot more work off the court than it used to be, but that’s fun,” Curry said of entering his 18th season. “Now it’s just about solving the challenge of our team and how we are going to be who we think we can be. Every year is a little different and you’ve got to be able to adapt, evolve and still play at a high level.”
Golden State won all three meetings with Memphis last season.
